Eastern isles, western isles: Geographical imaginaries and trans-island identities in British conceptions of Japan, 1800–1868

Storr, Annabel

Abstract

Ideas of islands shaped Britain's self-identity and its relationship with the wider world in the early and mid-nineteenth century. Existing interpretations of Anglo-Japanese relations have emphasized the development of the idea of Japan as the ‘Britain of the East’ in the late nineteenth century with the significance of Japan adopting a western model of development. This article argues for a critical re-evaluation that directly engages with the crucial developments within early nineteenth-century ideas of Japan as Britain's eastern reflection. It argues that the idea of Japan as Britain's eastern reflection did not arise out of Japanese reforms during the mid-nineteenth century but significantly predated these developments, grounded in ideas of geographical and cartographical connections between the two island nations and reinforced by firsthand travel accounts from the late 1850s onwards. Crucially, it argues that these ideas of twin isles of East and West exerted a powerful, at times eclipsing, influence over British conceptions of Japan in the early and mid-nineteenth century, employing geographical imaginaries in the face of geographical and cartographical difference.

Citation

Storr, A. (2024). Eastern isles, western isles: Geographical imaginaries and trans-island identities in British conceptions of Japan, 1800–1868. Journal of Historical Geography, 86, 287-296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhg.2024.10.008

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 13, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Oct 28, 2024
• Publication Date: 2024-12
• Deposit Date: Oct 30, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 30, 2024
• Journal: Journal of Historical Geography
• Print ISSN: 0305-7488
• Electronic ISSN: 1095-8614
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 86
• Pages: 287-296
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhg.2024.10.008
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2993460